Chapter 669: The Mysterious Crystal

Night had fallen.

Hearing Nimo and the others, having decided to first attempt bonding with Steel- or Rock-type Pokémon on the mountain to see if any felt a connection and would choose to leave with them, returned ahead of schedule to Steven's residence.

Guest rooms had been prepared for them here; resting for a night and departing early in the day would be far more appropriate.

After all, night was also when most non-nocturnal Pokémon slept; persisting in disturbing them would only risk leaving a bad impression.

Lance had intended to depart immediately atop his Dragonite to return to the Kanto League and report for duty, but at Steven's insistence, he agreed to stay and rest for the night, allowing his Dragonite to recover some stamina as well.

As for Luo Mu and Brock, they were invited directly into Steven's private collection room.

Though called a private collection room, its scale could rival that of a small museum.

The building was even a standalone structure, situated beside that extravagantly opulent mansion.

Steven had personally collected countless priceless treasures, and the security of his collection room was exceedingly tight.

—Though, frankly, few fools would dare target a Champion's collection in the first place.

Otherwise, just one of the Champion's ace Pokémon stationed here could reduce any intruders to ash.

And as for those criminals wielding black-technology gadgets, unless they desperately needed a specific item from the collection, they wouldn't bother breaking in; needlessly making enemies of both a Champion and the Devon Corporation was hardly a worthwhile endeavor.

Only after undergoing rigorous verification procedures did the great doors leading into the interior of the collection room swing open for the three of them.

Listening to Steven, who wore an apologetic expression, explain that it was all his father's insistence on installing this security system—otherwise, he could have simply used a key to open the door and immediately brought Luo Mu and Brock inside, truly keeping them waiting so long.

Luo Mu and Brock exchanged a glance, the corners of their mouths twitching.

This... they didn't even know how to comment on it.

But the astonishing aspects extended far beyond the tight security system before them; the moment Steven led the two of them into the collection room and they saw the objects arranged within the vast space as the lights gradually brightened, they instantly sucked in a sharp breath.

Display stands were arranged in an orderly yet varied manner throughout the interior space; beneath specially crafted glass cases lay various stones, each carefully wiped free of every speck of dust, resting quietly as though enjoying the treatment reserved for rare treasures.

There were stones that appeared utterly ordinary and dull at first glance, and there were gems so dazzling they clearly possessed priceless value.

Although the number of items in the collection was slightly fewer than Luo Mu had anticipated, their quality more than made up for it.

Steven pressed a button before one display stand; as the glass case automatically descended, the treasure within was Exposed to Outside air.

It was a pink diamond, pure and beautiful under the illumination of the lights.

Lifting it with great care, Steven stroked it as though caressing a lover's soft hand, his expression Tao Zui, while the eyes beneath his unexpectedly long, fine lashes brimmed with deep affection.

Brock felt that if he himself were a woman, he would likely fall instantly under the assault of such a gaze from Steven.

"I acquired her at an auction in a region called Kalos; in that moment, the instant I saw her through the transparent glass, my heart was struck."

Steven knew nothing of the pink diamond's origins, nor did he care about its exorbitant price.

He only knew that he had fallen in love with it at first sight; therefore, he had purchased this pink diamond and brought it back to Hoenn to treasure it.

Watching this scene, Luo Mu: "..."

Good grief, a lithosexual pervert.

Come to think of it, for Steven, who treats stones as lovers, to give stones to himself and Brock—how is that any different from giving away his own "girlfriend"?

Suddenly, he grew quite curious about what was going on in Steven's mind.

At this moment, Steven had already returned the pink diamond to its display stand, meticulously wiping away his own fingerprints with a handkerchief, before turning to introduce his other treasures.

This particular treasure looked like an utterly unremarkable gray stone, its shape somewhat peculiar, possessing no inherent value in itself.

Yet Steven still held it in high regard, treating this stone with the same attitude he had shown the pink diamond.

Luo Mu and Brock had assumed that after introducing a few items, Steven would let them browse and make selections here, after which everyone would return to their respective rooms to sleep.

—But Steven seemed fully intent on recounting, from beginning to end, the stories between himself and every single stone, talking straight until dawn.

Seeing drowsiness already battering against his cerebral cortex and realizing this approach wouldn't work, Luo Mu, under Brock's admiring gaze, interrupted Steven's continuous monologue.

"... Um, perhaps we could just look around on our own first?"

As the number-one most desirable man to marry in the Hoenn region, Steven possessed excellent upbringing and high emotional intelligence.

Of course, that might not necessarily hold true for anything unrelated to stones.

In any case, the moment he clearly saw the already conspicuous dark circles beneath Brock's swarthy face.

Steven instantly realized his mistake.

He loved stones, but he would not impose his own perspectives upon others.

After the day's battle, both Brock and Luo Mu must be exhausted and in urgent need of rest.

His actions had truly been inappropriate.

Speaking with a slight hint of apology, he said, "My apologies; I accidentally became immersed again. Please, look around, and if anything is unclear, just ask me."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Brock also spoke sincerely, "In my hometown of Pewter City, various stones are also abundant, and my father has conducted research on them as well; if Mr. Steven doesn't mind, tomorrow during the day, I can accompany you in conversation for the entire day."

"Then it's a promise!" Steven's eyes sparkled.

Brock nodded earnestly. "It's a promise!"

Watching them, a genuine smile emerged on Luo Mu's face.

Compared to Roxy, Brock, this Rock-type Gym Leader, actually had better compatibility with Steven; their interests were quite similar, aside from Brock's particular fetishes.

After all, Steven's lithosexuality was common knowledge.

Under the influence of his father, Forrest, Brock had also accumulated a considerable reserve of knowledge regarding stones.

The two of them chatting together would likely be surprisingly enjoyable.

"Looks like I don't need to save face; that's good."

After murmuring this and exchanging a greeting with Steven, the owner of the collection, Luo Mu began walking about the collection room.

Truth be told, Steven's treasures were indeed very captivating.

Even ordinary elemental Evolution Stones capable of causing Pokémon to evolve met, in his possession, the harsh requirement that shape, color, and energy saturation must all be perfect, with none lacking.

Among them were also rare items such as meteorites and fragments of comets.

Luo Mu even spotted a damp rock the size of a basketball.

This is far larger than those palm-sized damp rocks available on the market.

It's just a pity that it's still a bit too small.

Recalling the two-meter-wide damp rock at the bottom of Thunder Lake on the farm, large enough for a person to lie down on, Luo Mu felt this damp rock still needed more training.

That thing was the true rare treasure beyond any measure of value.

By the way, if Daigo ever gets a chance to visit the farm, I'll let him take a look; I wonder what expression he would make?

Thinking of this, Luo Mu couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.

Once Daigo finishes handling a string of matters, probably around the time Xiao Zhi challenges the Kalos League, he should have some free time.

Luo Mu continued moving through the collection room, and soon a vast array of fossils of various shapes appeared before him.

Shell fossils, carapace fossils, Secret Amber, root fossils, claw fossils...

Although the quantity wasn't large, there was basically a stockpile of each type.

As for the subsequent fossils from the Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Galar regions, none existed within this collection room.

This was probably related to the fact that Daigo hadn't spent long periods digging for stones in those regions.

After viewing the fossils, Luo Mu's gaze fell upon a pile of gems with various shapes, yet sharing the common trait of being shiny.

To be honest, Luo Mu didn't feel much toward most of the collection items.

Could it be that he didn't want them?

Of course not; although he wanted valuable things, this desire hadn't grown strong enough to that extent.

At this moment, he was already considering finding a precious gem to take back to Paldea and entrusting Yazi to locate a wealthy buyer at an auction.

That way, he could at least save up a sum of funds needed for constructing the future Ecological Dome.

He was a vulgar person with no refined hobbies for collecting artifacts; choosing gems, which inherently bore the label of monetary trade, shouldn't count as trampling on Daigo's kind intentions.

Compared to these gems, it would clearly pain him more if those stones obviously dug and selected personally by Daigo were sold off.

Among these gems, Luo Mu also discovered Key Stones, along with multiple Mega Stones.

Mimicking Daigo's actions, he opened the glass case and picked up a rounded "glass bead" with an overall pale green base color and an orange and dark green double-helix pattern, murmuring softly, "This should be the Mega Stone for Sceptile."

Besides this, there were also Mega Stones corresponding to Abomasnow, Banette, and Absol.

As for the matching Key Stones, Luo Mu had seen at least three of them.

Do not assume this number is small; these were items Daigo had collected unconsciously.

Now that Genji had already demonstrated the existence of Mega Evolution during that day's exhibition match, relevant information should soon appear on the desks of the Hoenn region's high-level officials.

Even if it remained confidential to the general public for some time, someone of Daigo's stature would absolutely receive the news immediately.

By then, relying on Daigo's financial power and his understanding of stones...

There was no doubt that whether acquired through purchase or personal excavation, the Key Stones and Mega Stones becoming part of Daigo's collection in the future would only increase in number.

And when Daigo excavates his own set of evolution items, he will welcome another leap in his strength.

Placing the stone back on the display stand, Luo Mu gently exhaled a breath, then turned his head, intending to pick up the sapphire he had previously favored, named "Heart of the Ocean."

But at that moment, the corner of his vision fell upon a spot in the corner, on a display stand he had accidentally overlooked just earlier.

With just one glance, Luo Mu froze.

Of course, he did not recognize that collection item, nor was the reason for his freezing due to knowing its value.

It was simply that the moment his gaze landed upon it, he felt an inexplicable throb.

The appearance of the collection item was actually not outstanding; its surface was covered with thick rock and dust, and for some reason, Daigo had not cleaned it.

Yet within this casing of irrelevant rock and dust, certain areas exposed a piece of crystal with a color nearly pale blue, revealing its rounded curves.

From the limited visibility, the crystal itself possessed nothing remarkable.

But for some reason, upon seeing this item, Luo Mu's eyes stuck to it, unable to shift away no matter what.

Perhaps because Luo Mu had stayed there for a relatively long time, Daigo, who was on the other side introducing fossils to Xiao Gang, walked over and asked with a smile, "Have you found anything you like?"

Luo Mu blinked; he had intended to mention that sapphire, but instead, as if possessed by a whim, he pointed at that crystal and asked, "What is this?"

Daigo's gaze landed on the collection item, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.

It was not distress over his "precious" collection being discovered, but rather surprise that Luo Mu would be interested in this crystal.

After pondering slightly, Daigo opened his mouth to explain, "Specifically, I am also unclear what exactly it belongs to, or what special abilities it possesses."

"The only thing known is that this mysterious crystal, under testing by Devon Corporation equipment, was found to contain some kind of special energy within, yet this special energy cannot be utilized by any known Pokémon."

"Therefore, I call it the 'Mysterious Crystal'; currently, the secrets it holds remain unsolved."

"Mysterious Crystal..."

Luo Mu lowered his head, murmuring these four words.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind.

"Mr. Daigo, I have made my decision."

The two turned to look and saw that Xiao Gang had also walked over.

In his hand, he held a piece of Secret Amber; it seemed this was the conclusion he reached after careful deliberation.

Daigo asked solemnly, "Have you truly made your decision?"

Just earlier, Daigo had told Xiao Gang that the genes preserved within the Secret Amber could only be identified once extracted, with no guarantee that it would definitely be an Aerodactyl.

There was also a possibility it could be fossil Pokémon like Omanyte or Lileep.

On the contrary, those fossils with specific external forms for reference were easier to judge regarding which ancient Pokémon they belonged to.

But after a difficult choice, Xiao Gang still decided to choose this piece of Secret Amber.

No matter which fossil Pokémon was resurrected from within it, he would be content.

Xiao Gang nodded heavily, "I have made my decision!"

Seeing this, a smile appeared on Daigo's handsome face, "Since this is your decision, I will not interfere."

"Tomorrow, I will arrange for specialists to air-freight the Fossil Revival Device back."

"Thank you, Mr. Daigo!"

Brock bowed deeply to Daigo with great solemnity.

Then he raised his head again to look at the display case before him.

To be honest, Brock was quite curious about which artifact Luo Mu would choose.

But when Brock saw the pale blue crystal in the display case, revealing only the tip of the iceberg, a look of confusion appeared in his eyes.

Huh? Why do I feel like this crystal looks somewhat familiar?

Brock tried to recall more details, but he simply could not remember where he had ever seen something identical to this "Mysterious Crystal."

(End of Chapter)